Before we left Oxfordshire on our daughter’s literary graduation gift tour in April of 2004 we stopped by Blenheim Palace.
Blenheim Palace is home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. I’m sharing a few photos with quotes from Churchill and one from the Bible.
Winston Churchill was born here in 1874. “At Blenheim I took two very important decisions; to be born and to marry. I am content with the decision I made on both occasions…”
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few…”
We were really taken aback by the grandeur of these Cedars of Lebanon that were planted on the grounds. We had Katie stand beside it to give some perspective…
The Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani) is a conifer that originates from, as its name might suggest, Lebanon and surrounding areas in the Middle East. Original old growth groves of this tree, that is mentioned in the Bible, are now very rare. This tree can live for thousands of years and became a popular exotic specimen tree in European landscape gardens in the 18th, 19th century.
Psalm 92: 12-15 (ESV)
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15 to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
“You have enemies? Good. It means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
We enjoyed our time at Blenheim and toured the grand home with all the amazing artwork and furniture and walked about a small part of the 2100 acres landscaped by Capability Brown!
Now…back to the present. We are thinking about quarantines at this old house as Dear’s ick seems to be spreading to the rest of us here. Oye and Ugh! Hope you are sore throat free and living in a non-coughing zone!!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
I’m glad to see this post. We’re planning for our upcoming trip this summer and Blenheim Palace is one possibility. Lovely facade of the Palace in your photo. I hope you all feel better soon!
Blenheim is close to Oxford and we would go back to both of these places, Lorrie, especially Oxford…
I believe I had read nearly every biography of Winston Churchill, his wife Clementine and his mother Jenny. Blenheim is a place I’d dearly love to visit.
I hope you soon feel a whole lot better!
I don’t know why I stopped by here today but I am very glad – my daughter and I took a trip to England and Scotland as a gift at her graduation from vet school, in 2005, and we had to take in all places that had anything to do with Winston Churchill 🙂 . Blenheim Palace was spectacular, and we didn’t even go inside! I was just thinking about the gardens yesterday because I saw so many new plants there that I took notes on, including one that I eventually planted in my front yard — and the trees!! I had forgotten about the magnificent specimens there, but now I will go back and look at my daughter’s photos. Yes, it would be so lovely to return. Thank you for this.
Hope you are all well again by now. Wish we could go back to England. Am so enjoying your memories of it.
You have given such a wonderful recount of your historic trip with Katie – what fantastic memories! Hope you all get better soon – not nice being under the weather.
What a fun trip – and wow on the Cedar of Lebanon!!!